[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2018 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2018

  To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to provide that a quality 
 grade label issued by the Secretary of Agriculture for beef and lamb 
          may not be used for imported beef or imported lamb.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 16, 2005

Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mr. Conrad) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to provide that a quality 
 grade label issued by the Secretary of Agriculture for beef and lamb 
          may not be used for imported beef or imported lamb.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Truth in Quality Grading Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. QUALITY GRADE LABELING OF BEEF AND LAMB.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 1 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 601) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(w) Beef.--The term `beef' means meat produced from cattle 
(including veal).
    ``(x) Imported Beef.--The term `imported beef' means beef that is 
not United States beef, whether or not the beef is graded with a 
quality grade issued by the Secretary.
    ``(y) Imported Lamb.--The term `imported lamb' means lamb that is 
not United States lamb, whether or not the lamb is graded with a 
quality grade issued by the Secretary.
    ``(z) Lamb.--The term `lamb' means meat, other than mutton, 
produced from sheep.
    ``(aa) United States Beef.--
            ``(1) In general.--The term `United States beef' means beef 
        produced from cattle slaughtered in the United States.
            ``(2) Exclusion.--The term `United States beef' does not 
        include beef produced from cattle imported into the United 
        States.
    ``(bb) United States Lamb.--
            ``(1) In general.--The term `United States lamb' means lamb 
        produced from sheep slaughtered in the United States.
            ``(2) Exclusion.--The term `United States lamb' does not 
        include lamb produced from sheep imported into the United 
        States.''.
    (b) Misbranding.--Section 1(n) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act 
(21 U.S.C. 601(n)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (11), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) if it is imported beef or imported lamb and bears a 
        label that indicates a quality grade issued by the 
        Secretary.''.
    (c) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate final 
regulations to carry out the amendments made by this section.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section take 
effect 60 days after the date on which final regulations are 
promulgated under subsection (c).
                                 <all>